I stare at him in wonder. “I can’t think of anything.”
He ghosts his hand over my side. “You feel okay?”
“A little nauseous, but it’s not bad,” I say.
His eyes light up. “I meant the bruise, but really? You have some symptoms?”
I smile shyly. “Yeah.”
“That’s amazing.” He pulls his lower lip between his teeth and squeezes my hips. “God, I want to hold you all morning. But we’ve both got work to do.”
“That’s ranch life,” I quip.
He kisses my nose. “It is. But we’ll find time for this, too.”
That’s a promise he makes good on. When I’m in the house with Bellamy in the afternoon for her nap, he comes in and we sit at the top of the stairs, my legs draped over his, while he tells me about the trail cams he’s set up.
“I’ve put them where I think a city boy might try to access the ranch. I can’t rig the entire perimeter, but it’s a start. And I’m looking into other options, too.”
“It’s a bitter coincidence that he had cameras everywhere, and now we need cameras to watch out for him. I don’t like that, I’ll be honest.”
He rubs my knuckles. “That’s fair. We don’t want to be in a constant state of surveillance, either. There’s a balance between having information and living free.”
I take a deep breath and nod.
Downstairs, Luna comes into the house, humming.
Zane winks at me and pulls me up the stairs. We duck into Dax’s unused room, and he wraps me in his arms, holding me for a hug that goes on and on. A hug that saysI’ll keep all your secrets, and keep you safe, and wait until you’re ready for more.
Once Luna has made her way up to her studio, he kisses me silently before I slide back into my bedroom and he heads back to his afternoon chores.
Chapter 19
Zane
I’m feeding Shadow in the barn when Cash calls in the late afternoon.
“Good news,” he says. “The guy hasn’t left the island yet. Bad news is, it seems like he might be planning to.”
“What did your contact find?”
“He’s selling off some computer equipment. Probably to get some ready cash. Rumour has it that most of his assets are tied up in crypto. He’s dangerous, Zane. People on the island steer clear of him. There was some relief at the idea that he might be moving.”
“Any way to keep eyes on him so we know if he does leave?”
“Yeah, that’s doable. It’s a nice place to spend a few days, that’s what my buddy says. He’ll hang out and make friends.”
I can only imagine what that means. “Thanks.” My knuckles tighten around my phone. “I mean it, Cash, I really fucking appreciate this. It’s going to buy Hope a good night’s sleep or two.”
“I should have her car fixed up day after tomorrow, too. You think I could drive it out to the ranch?”
I have a better idea. “I think we’ll come pick it up. As long as you can reassure her that he’s nowhere near Dragonfly Creek, I think she’d like to pick it up herself.”
Giving Hope a taste of normal life in townmight go a long way to showing her that while how we found each other was chaotic and irregular, from this point forward we’ll get to know each other in more ordinary ways.
But that depends on an unhinged man not moving too quickly. I’ll wait and see how the next thirty-six hours go before asking her on a date. I do, however, pull her aside to let her know that Derek’s been sighted on his homestead.
“Are you serious?” She stares at me. Then she leaps into my arms.
